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Three Classes, Safe Handling
NRC regulations separate low-level waste into three classes: A, B and C. The classification of the waste depends on the concentration, half-life and types of the various radio-nuclides it contains. The NRC sets requirements for packaging and disposal of each class of waste.

Class A low-level waste contains radionuclides with the lowest concentrations and the shortest half-lives. About 95 percent of all low-level waste is categorized as Class A.

Classes B and C contain greater concentrations of radionuclides with longer half-lives. They must meet stricter disposal requirements than Class A waste.

Low-level waste that exceeds the requirements for Class C waste—known as Greater than Class C waste—is, under federal law, the responsibility of the U.S. Department of Energy. This material is less than 1 percent of all low-level waste.

Strictly Regulated At Many Levels
Many government agencies are responsible for making sure the public and the environment are carefully protected.

• The NRC licenses and regulates all U.S. nuclear power plants, including how they handle low-level waste. Other facilities that manage or dispose of low-level waste—besides nuclear power plants—are licensed and regulated by either the NRC or one of the 34 “agreement states.” These are states that have entered agreements with the NRC by which the state regulates “by-products, sources and small quantities of special nuclear material within that state.” To qualify as an agree-ment state, it is necessary to demonstrate standards at least as stringent as the NRC’s, as well as the technical expertise to regulate effectively.
• The U.S. Department of Transportation and the NRC regulate the shipment of radioactive materials.
• The U.S. Department of Energy has worked with the states to coordinate national planning of low-level waste management and to provide the states with technical assistance to develop new disposal sites. DOE maintains a national database on low-level waste disposal volumes and location.
• The U.S. Geological Survey offers technical assistance with studies of hydrology and geology of proposed sites.
• Under federal law, every state is ultimately responsible for providing disposal for the waste generated within its borders—either by in-state disposal, by joining with other states to form a compact, or by contracting with a state or compact that has a disposal facility.
• Within states and compacts, many agencies play key roles in overseeing the development of disposal facilities.